DBBC the movie The Puppet Master's Game
by Una Morgan
Summary: Based on my hit story! Zucina crash mands on a strange planet, and is captured by a mindcontrolling child! Bardock and Tora must save her! This psycho thriller is filled with songs, action, laughs, and a surprise ending! BardockOC, ToraFasha.
1. part 1

Small Warning: This movie is based on not only DBZ, but my fanfic DragonballBC. If you are a newcomer, I suggest reading DBBC first. At least until episode 30! Then you'll get the idea. The characters Bardock, Tora, Fasha, Panbukin, Totepo, and Pikon are property of Akira Toriyama and FUNimation Productions. Zucina, Cole, Doggie, Puppet Master, etc., are mine, and copyrighted under law. If you want to use them, ask first.  
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Wanna see the official poster? E-mail me!  
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Cotton candy pink clouds loomed over the soda-pop rivers and minty green fields on Planet Toi-Ches. A blue and red train zoomed past the large, surreal houses. All of the cars had keys on their backs, and the farm animals stood still, never moving. The gum-drop sun shown high in the sky, with a happy-face decorated with white frosting watched over the kingdom of the Puppet Master.  
This serene atmosphere was broken by the smash of a small, round, one-man spacepod. The pod, recognizable as an old model designated to those working in Freiza's empire, landed with a resounding CRASH in the fresh ground, crunching the metal exterior.   
Curious on-lookers, all resembling stuffed animals, moved cautiously towards the site of the phenomenon. Was it a star?  
The pod door opened slightly, causing the citizens to run for cover. However, the crash ruined the mechanism for automatic release, so the inhabitant had to kick the door down. Cursing in her British dialect, Zucina tumbled out of her pod, hurt and furious. She held her broken arm, and tried to calm herself. "Gawd blimey!! That is the LAST time I follow up on Bardock's challenges to play chicken in a meteor shower!! Just a game, HA!!" She looked at her pod, and groaned. "Blasted hunk of junk!! Well, at least I survived."  
The animals had come back, but this time not alone. A huge, dark creature leered over Zucina, and started growling. The agrizoophobic [afraid of animals] Sayin trembled in her spot. "My mistake; I've died and landed in Hell!"  
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******Fanfiction.Net presents******  
*******An Una production********  
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*****DragonballBC: The Movie*****  
*****The Puppet Master's Game*****  
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~~Come with me and you'll be  
~~In a world of pure imagination  
~~Take a look and you'll see  
~~Into your imagination  
.  
~~We'll begin with a spin  
~~Trav'ling in the world of my creation  
~~What we'll see will defy  
~~Explanation  
.  
~~If you want to view paradise  
~~Simply look around and view it  
~~Anything you want to, do it  
~~Want to change the world, there's nothing to it  
.  
~~There is no life I know  
~~To compare with pure imagination  
~~Living there, you'll be free  
~~If you truly wish to be  
.  
~~If you want to view paradise  
~~Simply look around and view it  
~~Anything you want to, do it  
~~Want to change the world, there's nothing to it  
.  
~~There is no life I know  
~~To compare with pure imagination  
~~Living there, you'll be free  
~~If you truly wish to be  
.  
"Check stats on surrounding planets. Inform me which ones have and have not been colonized or explored by Lord Freiza." Third Class Captain Cole's AI responded instantly, and several star charts appeared on his screen. "Okay, team," the courageous captain spoke into the com. "The planets Zucina possibly crashed onto are these two."  
"Only two," asked Panbukin on the intercom.  
"Yes, only two. The small planet due south of here and the larger planet with two moons due northeast."  
"Oh, only," said Tora sarcastically. "And here I figured this was going to take time!!"  
"Calm down, Honey," said Fasha. "It narrows the list down."  
"Yeah, four instead of sixteen!" - Panbukin  
"So easy!" - Tora  
"We'll be home by 0600 hour!" - Panbukin  
Cole pushed two buttons, and a loud buzz sounded in the two pods containing the formerly mentioned two owners around him in space. After several grunts, Cole continued. "We'll each take a heavenly sphere to search. Fasha and me'll take the large planet. Panbukin, Totepo, take the moons. Bardock, you and Tora get the lone planet."  
"Got it," they all responded, and took off. Tora's face popped onto Bardock's screen. Tall, chocolate colored, and smiling as usual, Tora was one of Bardock's best friends. His hair spiked up, except for the mullet in the back, and he wore blue/dark blue armor. "Always having ta look after the Psycho Bitch, eh buddy?"  
Lieutenant Bardock, a teenage, strong, handsome, former recluse, and future father of the famed Super Sayin Son Goku, chuckled and shook his wildly spiked head. "Yeah, I guess so. Get ready to land in a few minutes." He pressed a few buttons. "Stinky?"   
A small, spherical, blinking piece of metal "head" lowered down to Bardock's eye-level. "I really wish you didn't call me that," it commented.   
Bardock smiled evilly. "Questioning my decision?"  
"If you had listened to my protests earlier, Private Zucina would not be lost, sir."  
"Ain't my fault she's no good of a pilot! Wish you wouldn't call me 'Sir.'"  
"You still dared her, sir. Why must the two of you always be so competitive?"  
"That's what rivals do! We compete!" He leaned back, stretching and scratching an itch near the scar on his tan cheek. "Just pull up the stats on the planet we're headin' to. Send all info to Tora's ship, too."  
"Scanning, sir," the robot responded. Several beeps went off, and electronic charts appeared on the screen. "The planet is called 'Toi-Ches.' The inhabitants are unknown, but apparently very powerful. All of Lord Freiza's men who have entered the planet's atmosphere have never returned."  
"Perfect," grumbled Bardock sarcastically. "Air?"  
"40% Oxygen, 2% Carbon Dioxide, 5% -"  
"I don't care about all that mumbo-jumbo!! Is it breathable!?"  
"Yes, sir. You should be-"  
Before it could finish, the spacepod jerk violently for a second. Bardock grabbed the sides. "What the-!?!"   
"Sir, there has been a breach-" Another jolt shook the ship. "Send word to Cole, IMMEDIATELY!!!!!" yelled Bardock. "Already done, sir," replied the ship. "Anything else?"  
"YEAH!! STOP MOVING!!!!" Another, longer, more violent jolt shook. "Stinky, get Tora on the intercom! Stinky?! STINKY!?!?" There was no response. Bardock stared at the small, round window. Although it was already tinted red, the glowing and fire informed Bardock of the situation. "Shit," he swore.   
With bated breath, Bardock waited for the pod to get closer to the atmosphere. Desperately, he pressed the button for the hatch to open. No luck; the system was failing. "No no NO," he screamed, pressing buttons at random in his panic. "Don't do this to me! Don't you FUCKING do this to me!!" He tried pushing the door open. Again, no luck. The ground began speeding towards him very fast, but Bardock tried to keep his cool. Finally, a blast tore open the pod latch, forcing it open. Tora held onto the outside of Bardock's pod, having evidently escaped from his own to save his friend. The rushing wind and clouds nearly suffocated them, but they strained through to jump.  
Bardock regained his balance in the air quickly, helped by Tora, and landed on all fours, tripping slightly. The pod crashed into the stream nearby. Bardock exhaled, relieved they were alive. "Well," joked Tora after a moment, "that was fun!"   
Then they heard a fizzing sound and tensed, anime eyes bugging. An explosion sounded and Bardock and Tora found themselves flying along with the strange, pink water, landing with a splash. Tora ended up on his head, Bardock on his tail.  
"Owwooooo," he moaned in pain. The liquid from the stream sloshed past and bubbled. "Why's this water sticky," he asked.   
"Don't know, and frankly don't care," stated Tora. He stood and surveyed the remains of his ship, a few feet away from the stream.   
Bardock walked over to his. Not much was left but several burnt chunks of machinery, some still smoking and sparking. Bardock lifted a familiar round, metal sphere. "Stinky," he whispered sadly.  
A rustle in the bushes brought him back to his senses. They spun around, forming classic fighting stances, fists balled up, power levels rising. But they froze in place when the creature came into view. From behind the tree emerged a large, pink, fluffy elephant. It stared at the two with big, blue, shiny button eyes.   
Bardock's pupils shrank. "What . . . what are you!?"  
The elephant was then joined by a giant wooden horse and a navy-blue-and-yellow teddy bear. The group looked at each other, then back at the Sayins. Bardock's face had blue anime fright lines. "I . . . I think I'm losing my mind," he muttered. Tora was silent; his jaw dropped.  
The horse spoke sharply in a language standard to space travelers called Basic [similar to English], ordering the bear to warn the villagers that "more have come to the Puppet Master."  
"Wait," said Bardock in perfect Basic. "Please! What do you mean by 'more.'"  
The creatures froze. The bear spoke to the horse. "He can talk our language, Archie! We must warn him about the Puppet Master-"  
"No," growled the horse. "You know the law!"  
"But they are just children," offered the elephant. "Maybe they won't be strung."  
"Shut your mouth, Elena! That is blasphemy!"  
Tora was getting a little annoyed. "Hey! Can't you at least talk TO us instead of ABOUT us!? We don't mean any harm!"  
"We know," replied the Warren. "We just aren't allowed to talk to you."  
The elephant, Elena, and the horse, Archie, covered the bear's mouth. They looked around, scared as rabbits, then motioned for Bardock and Tora to follow them. The group walked quickly into the small village. Most of the houses appeared to be made out of marshmallow, with Hershey's kisses as the roofs. The others, gingerbread and gumdrops. The villagers, who all resembled stuffed animals, paled at the sight of the Sayins, and ignored them as though they carried the plague.  
Elena held open a gumdrop door and hurried them all inside. She and her companions took one last glance around to make sure they were not being followed, then shut the door.  
"Are there more of you coming," she asked, very frightened.   
"I'm not sure," admitted Bardock. "Why? Who is the Puppet Miser?"  
"Master," corrected Archie, "and you must escape before you end up strung like the other one."  
"Other one," asked Tora. "So, Zucina did land here!"  
"If this Zucina had purple hair, a tail, and a very foul mouth, then yes."  
"That's her alright! Psycho Bitch to a tee! Where'd she go? Cole will skin us alive if we leave her behind."  
Warren tugged Bardock's leg warmer. "She was taken! The Puppet Master has her! You'll never see her again!"  
"Warren is right," said Archie. "Once the Puppet Master strings them up-"  
"Who is this goddamn Puppet Master," screamed Bardock angrily.   
The toys covered his mouth. "Shh," whispered Archie. "Doggie might hear you!"  
Bardock shook his head. "Okay, listen, I'm about ready to beat the shit outta myself 'til I wake up. Now, tell us what the hell is goin' on, or I'll blow up this planet to dust!!"  
They looked at each other, then fell on their knees. "Oh please do it! Destroy us!!"  
Bardock blinked twice. Then turned to the wall and banged his head a few times.  
"I think I'll explain," came a voice from an adjoining room. A pretty lioness opened the gumdrop door. She smiled good-naturedly, and offered them a seat on the mat with her paw. "Sorry about their attitude. Our ruler, the Puppet Master, has us all - well - wound up a little tight. My name is Julianne." She set a tray of milk and cookies in front of them. "Would you like a pillow?"  
"No thanks," said Tora. "Ano . . . Why are you treating us so nicely? A second ago, you guys were ready to throw us to this Puppet Master guy."  
Archie turned on the fire and Elena got out a giant storybook with magical changing pictures. "This is starting to become too sickeningly cute for me," Bardock commented to his bud.  
"Once upon a time," a disembodied narrating voice started, "Toi Ches had a king, a queen, and a little prince. One day, the prince fell ill, and the queen had the wizard create a giant computer to tell him stories." Pictures appeared on the pages magically and moved as it spoke.  
"The prince soon became so obsessed with his stories, that he started to believe in them completely. He made mind-control strings that he put on the wizard. Under his control, he made to wizard turn his parents into giant, bloody, headless statues!  
Bardock crunched his cookie and laughed, imagining his own mother bloody and headless.  
"Then," continued the voice, "he started to take over completely. The wizard created a huge three headed dog named 'Doggie' to protect him, and forced all of the strongest people in our world under his control. But that didn't satisfy him. After taking over the world, he wanted to take over the universe! So, he tricked strong beings from other planets to land here, using his machine to create a tractor beam, destroy the engine, and crash-land. Then, he puts them under his mind control with his string!" Julianne shut the book.  
"Rumor has it that as soon as he has enough fighters," said Archie, "that he will take over the universe. He's already killed the wizard to make sure he won't allow a take over."  
Warren held Bardock's hands with his soft, blue paws. "Please help us! We don't want the Puppet Master to take it over! We want peace!! Even if you have to kill us too!!"  
"I just want my friend back," said Bardock, finishing his milk and cookies. "I ain't no hero. I'm a Sayin!"  
"Same here," agreed Tora. "Who ever heard of a heroic Sayin?"  
"Please," begged Warren. "You have the faces of heroes! You're super-strong! I KNOW you can!"  
Bardock's eyes surveyed the faces of his hosts. Heart too pure for his own good, he sighed and nodded. "Point me in the direction of the castle."  
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	2. part 2

~~Toyland, Toyland  
~~Dear little girl and boy land  
~~When you dwell within it  
~~You are ever happy there!   
.  
~~Childhood Toyland   
~~Mystical merry Toyland   
~~Once you pass it's borders   
~~You can never return again!   
.  
"I can't believe you agreed to help some rejects from a storybook," grumbled Tora to Bardock.  
The stuffed animals leant them friendly fairy, Gardenia, to lead the way to the castle. More irritated then gratified, they followed the flicking pixie through the forest. "I'm really pleased that you decided to help us out! You must be very strong and brave! Either that, or equally foolish. The Puppet Master has been gathering followers since before I was born, and I know all of them are strong. They are some of the strongest of all races! For you to be ready to fight off hundreds and hundreds of them . . ."  
As she babbled, Bardock hopped a little. The gravity of the planet was much less then Vegetasei. Not good for ground attacks, but ideal for aerial. He licked his finger and tested for the wind direction. Every detail had to be taken into account. He had no idea what he was going to be facing.  
"Ulg," Tora groaned, holding his nose. "What the hell izzat!?"  
Gardenia laughed. "Oh, that must just be Doggie." She pointed to a large pile of . . . what looked like dirt. Bardock pinched his nose. "That is one big pile-o-shit!"  
"Wait'll you see the creature that MADE it! He's huge!!"  
Bardock tried to picture Zucina's reaction to such a large animal. "No wonder she got captured! She's afraid of animals."  
"Sorry I missed it," grinned Tora.  
"Then she must have really been scared of Doggie. He's this big!" She did a flying turnabout forty feet wide.  
"Gotcha," said Bardock. 'This might be more difficult then I thought.'   
Tora made a gagging noise. "Can we move on now? I can't breathe!"  
"Here," she giggled, pointed through the trees. "Candyland Castle is right over there!"  
"Candyland," asked Tora. "Man, sounds like a bad name for a board game!"   
He pushed aside the tree leaves and gasped. The large castle put Vegetasei's Imperial Palace to shame! Able to fit a small city, Candyland Castle was actually MADE of candy! Slick, peppermint sticks held fast the guard walls, the towers were lemon and cherry Jolly Rancher hard candies, the roofs were chocolate bars stretched with caramel, the windows colorful jelly beans, and the drawbridge was made out of peanut brittle.   
"Beautiful, isn't it," cooed Gardenia. "I helped grow the cotton candied flower gardens inside. Teeheehee, a true tribute to our beautiful planet! What do you think Ba- Bardock? Tora? Where'd you go?"   
She saw the Sayins walking toward it, mesmerized, mouths watering. "This is every Sayin's greatest dream," muttered Bardock.  
Tora reached the sugary gates first. He caressed it, purring happily. But before he could get a good lick, a door suddenly opened underneath his feet. He yelled out as he disappeared from sight.  
"TORA!!!" Bardock screamed out. He dropped to his knees and scratched around the place where the door opened. But the ground was now smooth, not even a crack showing. He searched for Tora's ki, and found he was alive. As he did, the bridge lowered. Gardenia darted to his shoulder, voice not laughing but serious. "Be forewarned, the prince may be small, but he is very crafty. He'll do everything he can to trick you into surrendering your power to him."  
Bardock glowered. 'Kuso! Now Tora's gone! He should be okay, though.' "Let him try," he chuckled. "I'm ready." He stepped through the gates.  
Inside was as glorious and rich in flavor as the outside. Gardens of mint and sweets of all kinds. Fountains of soda and snowfalls of sugar. If Bardock's mind wasn't so intent on the following battle, he would have been in heaven!  
Trumpets blared from no where. Bardock's eyes shifted, searching for movement. A small figure from the top of the stairs zoomed to the banister and slid down. Out from the bottom popped a - was it a boy or an imp? The child before him couldn't have been older then six years old! His head ended at Bardock's waist, his skin was blue, eyes yellow with green slits for pupils, hair light brown and messy, four three-fingered arms skinny, and he wore a striped T-shirt with jeans. If his pointed teeth didn't show, Bardock would thought he was an innocent child.  
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Tora coughed through the dust cloud that hung over him after his landing. He looked up, straining to see the door he had fallen through, now the size of a stamp. "Gotta watch out for that first step," he joked.  
As keen as Sayin senses are, Tora need light in order to find a way out. Searching quickly, he found an unlit torch on a nearby wall. Lighting it, he turned around. He was in a high chamber, filled with space ships of every variety imaginable packed into clear boxes, as if for display. There was a long corridor nearby, made of chocolate chips and peanuts in caramel, leading to a small, wooden door.  
Not worried too much, Tora started walking down the hall, holding up his ki-lit blue torch.  
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"Welcome friend," the boy said in a small voice. "A Sayin warrior, if I'm not mistaken."  
"You ain't," said Bardock, trying to smile.  
"Glad you landed here," the boy said. "My name is Peter! I set up a banquet for you. Want some now?"  
"No thanks," said Bardock with extreme difficulty.  
Peter's face twitched. "A Sayin refusing a meal? Come now, its-"  
"I'm here to take my friend back. Where is she?"  
"Friend? I don't know what you are talking about."  
"My friend an' companion. She's a head shorter 'n me, got purple hair, magenta leotard, and white armor. Now will you hand her to me, or do I have ta take her?"  
The boy laughed. "Don't give orders here! Only I can give them! But, I like you! You look cool! How'd you get that scar, in battle?"  
"Against my friend, as a matter of fact."  
The Puppet Master's eyes narrowed. "Forget her for a minute. I want to talk with you. Come on! I want to show you something!"  
If it not for the fact that Zucina may be in the castle, Bardock would have destroyed the little creature right then and there. However, worried Zucina may be under his control, he followed. The inside reflected the outside, rich in flavor and color.   
"Nice digs," Bardock commented. He got an idea; a military procedure he learned at school that rarely failed came to mind: reverse psychology. "Ano, wanna play something?"  
"Sure," Peter said, getting excited. "How about 'I Spy'? You like that game?"  
"Never heard of it."  
"It goes like this." He looked around the room and recited: "I spy with my little eye, something . . . fluffy! Now, you look for something fluffy!"  
Bardock scanned the room. Maybe, with this minor distraction, he could search for Zucina's power level. He wandered around, keeping an eye out for anything fluffy. Unfortunately, he found a cotton candy flower before he got much of a chance to seek out for Zucina. "Here's somethin'."  
"That was an easy one. Your turn!"  
"Right. Find someth-"  
"You have to say the rhyme," ordered Peter, stamping his foot.  
"Rrrr. Okay, I spy with my little eye something . . .," then he gasped at what he saw in a window.   
"Oh, that's just my parents," replied Peter with a giggle. "I had them decapitated because they didn't play with me." He smiled slyly. "You're pale, Bardock. Hungry?"  
"Not really," chuckled Bardock nervously, a sweat-drop formed on his head. The statues of the headless royals forced his appetite to vanish. There necks spouted cherry soda, looking horribly like blood. "Uh . . . Let's play another game, okay?"  
"Sure! How about 'Hide and Seek'?"  
"Never played it."  
"Man, that one is known all over the galaxy! What games DID you play when you were a kid?!"  
"None." Bardock despised saying much else to the boy, but to avoid more questions later on while he searched, he explained. "My mother was an abusive drunk, my sister a cheap whore, and I was hated by all of my kind because I was born so weak. Satisfied?"  
Peter giggled wickedly. "Why does power matter so much to you Sayins? You must have really been pathetic to be hated by 'all of your kind'! You tightasses should just have some fun!"  
Bardock's eyes darkened. 'Remember, Zucina's hidden somewhere, an' Tora's downstairs, so don't kill the brat yet,' he ordered himself. "How do ya play 'Hide 'n Seek?"  
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Tora pried some candy off the wall and popped it into his mouth. "Mmm, chewy," he commented. As soon as the chocolate left the wall, the caramel slid down and replaced the small hole. "Cool, I could get used to this."  
He reached the end of the hallway and opened the wooden door. It was pitch dark. He stepped through and closed the door behind him. For some reason, his nose twitched, as if warning him about something nearby. "Oh man! What's that smell?!" Raising his torch, he looked around for a door.  
Six pairs of eyes, each about as large as his head, stared back from three huge, black, furry heads, along with three sets of sharp, long teeth.  
An anime drop slid down the back of Tora's head. "Oh Mama . . ."  
One of the heads snapped, and Tora took off. Moving with pristine accuracy, Tora dodged the thrashing teeth and tail. Each time Doggie barked, the air shook, but Tora didn't waver. Left, right, upright, down, up, leftup, down, etc. He kept his eyes on the Cerberus' muscles instead of his heads to predict his movements; a little trick he learned from Cole during training.  
But nothing prepared him for what came next. His stomach gave a horrible lurch, and Tora plummeted with sudden pain. He crashed to the floor, scrambling out of the dog's way. Why did he have to eat that candy!?  
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"Its easy, I'll hide while you close your eyes and count to ten. Then, after you say, 'Ready or not, here I come,' you look for me."  
"Great! Go hide!" He turned around and closed his eyes. 'Perfect! I'll find Zucina while looking fer him!' He counted, called out the familiar phrase, then proceeded to search.  
After a minute of investigating the room, he started opening doors at random. Most of the décor reminded Bardock of a nightmare; a paradise for a child but sick and twisted. The kitchen had flowers, sweets, and was strewn with animal guts. Another room had toys of all kinds, some with all of their body parts, but most without. Various toy heads were impaled upon pencils lining the windows. Yet another toy room held toys dipped in blood, along with paintings smelling strongly of bodily fluids.  
"Gettin' mighty graphic, ain't you Una?"  
Don't ignore the fourth wall, Bardock!  
Finally, at the end of the first floor hallway, Bardock came to a locked double-door with brass handles and strange markings. Stretching out his ki-finding techniques, he sensed great powers on the other side. A chill ran down his back. There were so many!  
"Naughty naughty, Sayin monkey," said Peter, suddenly behind him.  
Bardock prepared to fight if the boy struck first, but instead Peter grinned. "Wanna see," he asked with that creepy smile of his. "This is my toy chest," he said. "Open the door."  
The great doors opened on their own. The inside was dark, even to Sayin eyes. The boy's eyes glowed like a cat's. "Wanna see my toys," he asked in his childish voice of anticipation.   
Still worried about Zucina's safety, Bardock said, "Yeah, whatever."  
The boy laughed, in his "innocent" way, and switched on the lights with a snap of his fingers.  
Bardock found himself in a vast corridor. This one, not colorful like the last, was black, and stretched out for miles and miles. The walls were aligned with life-sized action figure boxes. Each box contained a living, breathing alien, all strong fighters, in a deep sleep.   
Unable to hold in his awe, Bardock staggered down the pathway with his mouth open. The villagers said he gathered an army, but not even FREIZA had this many warriors!!  
"Impressive, isn't it," boasted the boy. "It has taken my zurals to collect them all. It's not complete yet. I need some more Sayins first. Just think, Bardock, you could be the general! Yes, I know your name. I've known about you for a long time. My computer measured your power and finds that you are the most potential fighter in the universe! Oh man! I had to meet you! I want you! You've just gotta be my brand new-"  
"Toy," Bardock spat. "You call this loyalty!?! They're in a deep sleep!!"  
"Loyalty is what you make of it," Peter reasoned. "But, you seem different. You know what its like, not having parents who like you." His eyes darkened, and his voice turned to one that acted older, and lost. "My only comfort lay in stories. Fairies, damsels in distress, magical creatures, knights in shining armor, gingerbread houses . . . they were my friends. No one played with me when I got sick. My parents made sure of that. So, I had to make people my friends." His eyes lit up. "And they will help me make more friends. Its all a big game!"  
Bardock took a step forward. "Sob stories don't work on Sayins, kid."  
"They work on you," he said in a sad voice. "You are different then most Sayins. You can play in my ultimate role-playing game! You can't escape it; no one can. But will you be the knight in shining armor, or the evil villain trying to stop me?"  
Bardock's stern face didn't change. "Fine," shouted Peter. "I thought I wouldn't have to try to control you. I thought you would understand! I guess I'll have to use force." He inhaled, Bardock was ready to fight anything he called. "MOMMY!!!!" He grinned with pointed teeth at the questioning look on Bardock's face. "My real mummy disappointed me, so I made a replacement."  
Bardock's heart stopped. Zucina, dressed in a royal green queen's dress, hurried forward. Under it, Bardock could smell blood. In other words, she fought not to be controlled. Tied around her wrist was a black piece of thread, barely visible.  
"Is anything the matter, my son?" She bent down and caressed him lovingly. "Can I do anything for you, Dearest?"  
Each word in Zucina's sweet voice pounded into Bardock's heart. "Let . . . her . . . go!"   
Peter played his part well. He hugged her and said, "Mummy, you love me, don't you?"  
"Of course, my precious."  
"Stop it," Bardock growled urgently.  
"What about him, Mummy?"  
Zucina turned to Bardock, as if noticing him for the first time. "Who is he?"  
Bardock's blood boiled dangerously. His temper started getting the better of him again. "He wants to hurt me, Mummy," cried Peter, holding up a wooden marionette controller behind her back. The thread around her wrist was attached somehow. "Kill him for me."  
"As you wish." Zucina's eyes glowed red, as did the thread, receiving the order. Before Bardock reacted, Zucina dove forward, punching him hard in the gut. Bardock grunted, but phased out before she followed up her onslaught.   
He quickly phased in the air. The LAST thing he wanted was to kill Zucina, much less hurt her, but at this rate he had no choice but to fight. She jumped up, fists out, but Bardock caught them. He spun around and slammed her into the floor, destroying some tile-work.  
"Wow," muttered Peter with glee. He wiggled his controllers. "This is a fun game! The damsel in distress is facing her potential captor!"  
Zucina responded by blasting Bardock's stomach. Ribs cracking and coughing up blood, Bardock flew back. She phased out, in, out, in, out, and in front of Bardock, throwing a punch. Bardock ducked, so she missed, crashing right into the wall between two packaged warriors.  
Trying to control his temper, Bardock reached for the thread, but Zucina jumped over, catching him with the skirt of her dress. Blinded, Bardock tried not to hit too hard, but smashed his fist into her jaw, cracking it.  
Surprisingly undaunted, she tried grabbing his tail, but again, Bardock caught her. 'This is too repetitious,' he thought. 'Zuni-chan's never so boring! He must be controlling her completely!' He tried to rip off the thread again, but Zucina pushed him aside. The resulting force broke her arm again, contorting it oddly.  
Bardock grit his teeth as if feeling the pain himself. 'She's gonna hate me for that!' The Sayin puppet simply landed, then rammed him with her damaged side. This didn't have much of an effect physically, but surprised Bardock.  
"She feels no pain," Peter answered Bardock's unspoken question, laughing. "Not unless I order so. She'll fight until she dies."  
'Monster," Bardock thought bitterly. He started punching and kicking, with Zucina trying to block. But the attacks were too fast for Peter to follow, so Bardock ended up forcing the girl to cough up blood in hefty quantities. With one powerful punch, he knocked her to the ground.  
Peter laughed, swerved his controllers, and Zucina started blasting at him. Bardock cancelled each out, created a cloud around him. True to his assumption, Peter could not sense power levels like he could, and in the cloud, Bardock lunged at his friend. As if a puppet without strings, Zucina's body slacked, not fighting back. Quickly, Bardock untied the thread around her wrist.   
Once the cloud dissipated, and the thread was free, Zucina collapsed, unconscious.   
Peter roared with anger. "You took my best toy! Thief!"   
Bardock almost felt like laughing in spite of himself. The kid was too delusional! Holding his aching chest, he stood up. "Yer mistake was controllin' her actions. If she fought for real, I'd not've won so easy!"  
Peter took out a whistle with one of his bottom hands, and blew on it hard. The ground trembled below the wounded Bardock, the doors flung open, and Doggie, clutching a bloody and unconscious Tora in one mouth, bounded in.  
"Holy shit," mouthed Bardock. His voice had vanished with the earthquake.  
The dog bent its many heads to its master in an unmistakable bow. Peter only had to point and the dog growled at the two Sayins. Sooner than Bardock could possibly react, one head snapped at Bardock's legs. He jumped, clutching Zucina, paying attention to the one set of jaws. But another chomped onto his torso. Teeth piercing through the armor, the head shook Bardock violently, spilling his blood on the gleeful Puppet Master's face.   
Struggling to breathe through the pressure, Bardock tried in vain to open the beast's jaws. The other free head snapped. Unable to take the lack of oxygen and loss of blood, Bardock passed out.  
*  
* 


	3. part 3

~~I got y' I shot y'   
~~And y' bloody know I did  
~~I got y' I shot y'   
~~I stopped it with the bin lid  
.  
~~But you know that if you cross your fingers  
~~And if you count from one to ten  
~~You can get up off the ground again.  
~~It doesn't matter  
~~The whole thing's just a game  
.  
~~It doesn't matter  
~~The whole thing's just a game  
~~The whole thing's just a game  
~~The whole thing's just a game  
.  
Bardock awoke to find himself in the forest, his face being wiped clean by Julianne. The lioness smiled kindly, washing the bloody rag in a basin next to her. He tried to get up, but met with a sharp pain throughout his entire body.  
"Please," begged Warren, hugging onto Bardock's neck. "Gardenia found you in the moat. You've suffered so much already."  
Gardenia blushed, her entire body turned crimson.  
Bardock almost complied, until he heard Zucina groan loudly. He whirled around, ignoring the immense pain, and saw her being wiped down by Elena, the Idsa Sword lying nearby. Tora was sleeping soundly by Archie, bloody but considerably more peaceful.   
The Sayin woman held her broken arm and opened her eyes slightly. After blinking three times, staring at Elena, she nodded. "Yep," she said. "I've officially gone mad."  
Her partner laughed. Zucina turned to see him there and asked, "You see a giant, pink elephant in front of me, right?" He nodded. "Good." She closed her eyes again. "I'm going back to sleep now, and when I wake up, it had better not be there again."  
Archie scowled. "You came to save her?"  
"Yeah. She can be kinda nice . . . sometimes. How's Tora doin'?"  
"Oh, he'll be fine," said Julianne. "He had eaten some of the Master's candy, and it started eating his stomach. So, we gave him some lotus medicine to numb the pain."  
Tora yawned and stretched lazily. "Morning," he said sleepily.   
"Feel alright?"  
"Not too bad. Boy, that dog sure was vicious! I felt like my insides were dissolving!" He noticed Zucina nearby. "Hey, thanks for the great weekend, Psycho Bitch!"  
Bardock noticed she still had on her royal green gown. He also realized he now wore black suit of armor, lined with silver skull buckles at the joints, and a cape behind him with a skull helmet. Tora now wore a raggedy type of garb, brown and green, and made of cheap potato sack material. "Oh my Goddess!"  
"Don't wake me," warned Zucina.  
"Zuni-chan, look at our clothes!"  
Tora examined them. "So?"  
"So?! Waddaya make of 'em?"  
"Who cares," asked Tora, lying back down to sleep.  
"C'mon, you guys!"  
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and looked. "I think the child is mental. Why?"  
Bardock pushed himself to a seated position. His body ached. Archie handed Julianne some more bandages, but Bardock pushed their hands away. "The kid is obsessed with games n' stuff. This has ta be part of his 'role-playing' game!"  
Zucina groaned and studied their outfits. "Well, your armor is black, and that's a classic sign of evil. You know, 'The Dark Knight.'"  
"Uh-huh," agreed Tora. "The skulls mean that, too. And my clothes are badly cared for, with common colors, and . . ." He picked up a wooden staff beside him. "I must be playing the role of Lowly Sidekick!"  
"Uh, yeah. If you say so." Bardock felt a fresh wave of envy that Zucina and Tora had loving parental figures.  
"He must not have taken a liking to you," continued Zucina wisely, "because he made you the villain. And I'm wearing a green dress and a pointed hat with a veil, meaning . . ." She gave a disgusted look. "I am NOT a damsel in distress, goddamit!!"  
"I'm sorry you got dragged into this," said Julianne, continuing to clean Bardock's wounds.  
Zucina continued her rant. "Sexist BASTARD!! Mother-fucker has NO CLUE the power I truly fucking hold!! If it weren't for that sonofabitch taking my sword, and BLINDSIGHTING me, I'd have fucking kicked his goddam ASS!!"  
Tora covered his ears in mock revulsion. "Zuni-chan! Language! Does that befit a damsel?"  
"Be glad one of my arms is broken, asshole! I'd fucking strangle you!"  
"At least you look like a girl, and aren't cross-dressing as usual!"  
While they argued, Bardock ran his fingers along the armor. It fit him perfectly, as if custom made for him. 'How fast can this kid work? And could he really take over the universe?' Warren, using both paws, cleaned off any more blood from around his breastplate. 'If Peter does hurt innocent people, he could kill our friends here too. Everywhere I've been, he'll try to control. He tricked all of us in different ways. Zucina got frightened by Doggie, Tora ate the candy, and I actually started to pity him! Still do, a little.'  
His eyes rose to stare at the castle. 'This armor may be the work of a crazed kid, but its as good as a challenge in my book!'  
Tora's voice came back to Bardock's attention. "There are ships in the dungeons. We should hijack one and head home."  
"I AM NOT GOING BACK LOOKING LIKE THIS!!" screeched Zucina, tugging her dress. "I'd rather go home NAKED!!"  
Tora wiggled his eyebrows. "Ooooo! That'll get some attention!"  
"We ain't goin' home yet," announced Bardock. He stood up, a little shakily, but very serious. "We have some unfinished business to take care of!"  
"Screw you," Tora laughed. "We're too beat up! We got Zucina, so lets just go home!"  
Bardock turned around, eyes flashing. "What kinda Sayin are ya!? You ain't gonna be afraid of a kid are ya!?"  
The other two looked at each other and shook their heads.  
"Good! The Puppet Master is plannin' on using his army to take over, but I for one don't wanna be run by no kid! We gotta stop him before he leaves!"  
"What make you think he's going to leave now," asked Gardenia, flying just below his ear.  
"Why else would he give us these costumes? We gotta look our parts in his twisted game. An' since I'm the villain, I gotta have me an army." He put his fists on his hips. "Stand up, guys! As your lieutenant, I'm in charge anyway!"  
Tora and Zucina stood. "Tora, you head back to your ship. Try to radio in Cole and get the others here. After that, sneak into the castle and find that computer thing the book mentioned. Zucina, you and I are gonna fight head on!"  
"I can't fight like this," complained Zucina, ready to rip her dress off.  
Bardock grabbed her by her collar. "I ain't in no mood for your attitude, Zucina! You want to be a damsel in distress, fine! I'll tie you up and strap you to a tree during the fight! But I'm gonna need help if I'm going to fight this bastard!"  
"I'll help you," said Warren. The small bear yanked a large stick, taller then him, off a branch and held it like a weapon.   
"We all will help," said Julianne. "The village is nearby. We'll get the other villagers, and you'll have a real army!"  
"Here her," cheered Gardenia.  
"Yeah!" cheered the other toys.  
"Thanks," said Bardock. "We may need all the help we can get!" He eyed his partner. "Well, Zuni-chan? What's it gonna be?"  
Zucina's eyes glowed with momentary rage, but, after a pause, sparkled maliciously. A familiar smirk crossed her lips. "Bardo-kun, when was the last time I turned down a fight?" She picked up the Idsa Sword, unsheathed it, and pointed it to the air. "To the castle!"  
**  
**  
Peter finished hooking up his last device to his last fighter. Bardock was going to fight back, so he learned from his past mistake. Each warrior would fight with limited control, so he attached a small device to the thread of each one. "Remember, brave knight," he said to them, "Sayins bleed, so I wanna see lots of blood!" With his army ready, Peter readied his four controllers in his four hands and waited on the castle wall for his opponent, giggling at the prospect of a bloody battle.   
The gumdrop sun now began setting behind the tall rise that lead to the forest. The fluffy pink cotton candy clouds turned blue with approaching night. Not long after, a dark shadow crept over the hillside. Bardock, dressed in black and silver, cape billowing in the breeze, emerged silhouetted against the sun.  
Peter did a little dance of delight to contain himself. "Why, if it isn't my arch nemesis, the Dark Lord Bardock," he recited loudly. "Ready to stop my conquest?"  
"You don't leave me much choice, Puppet Master," he called back. "I warn you, Sayins don't lose."  
"Then get ready for a major disappointment. Soldiers! ATTACK!!" The army of inter-planetary warriors stood at attention, then sped off to battle.   
Bardock gave a hand signal, and his own army stepped into the light. Lead by Zucina (who cut and sewed the skirt to make pants), the villagers manned their pitchforks, knives, clubs, and whatnot. "CHARGE," Bardock ordered. The angry mob of toys ran forward to clash with the opposition.  
The myriad of soldiers mixed, the colors, shapes, and sizes intertwining to become a mess of a war. Inexperienced as they were, the village toys fought bravely to save their land, and concentrated on cutting the threads of each soldier. The PM's soldiers, unable to sense pain or compassion, struck at them mercilessly. Within the first five minutes, many villagers were down. They tried stitching up their injuries [they are toys!], but the soldiers did not stop.  
"Kuso," Bardock swore allowed. He bounded through, trying more to protect his followers rather then kill any soldiers. Zucina, unconcerned about the villagers, tore through like a tornado, snapping thread after thread after thread, ignoring the distressed cries of the innocents around her.  
"What is going on," one particularly strong voice demanded. Bardock saw the owner was nearly seven feet tall, green, skinny, had no nose, and a general's uniform from some far off planet. "Hey," the frog-like alien ordered Bardock, "you there! What is the meaning of this!?"  
"The lord of the castle tricked you," Bardock cried out over the noise. "He turned everyone into slaves to take over the universe!"  
The alien sneered. "He'll pay for this!"  
"Please, you are a general, gather the conscious warriors and snap the threads on the wrists."  
"I understand," the smart alien replied. "What's your name?"  
"Lieutenant Bardock of Vegetasei in the Northern Quadrant, sir. And yours?"  
"General Pikon of Pondua in the Western Quadrant." He called out for the warriors without threads to hear him, and started giving them orders. Noting his high-level garb, they obeyed, and began helping the villagers.  
'That'll work for a while. Now, I have to wait just a little longer for . . . YATTA!! FINALLY!!'  
Five specks appeared in the sky. Even unrecognizable by sight, Bardock felt the ki of his sensei and teammates. Two of the specks plunged down, disappearing into the castle. 'Tora and Fasha must be going to shut down the computer,' Bardock thought. 'What a guy!'  
"Sayin Shower," yelled Panbukin from high above. He and Totepo sent out the trademark balls of ki raining down, directing the relatively weak blasts to the soldiers. Stunned by the sudden arrival, both sides ducked for cover.  
"BARDOCK," yelled Cole over the noise, "YOU OKAY?!?"  
"HAI," he yelled back.   
Cole flew down lower. "You take care of the big baddie! We've got things covered here!"  
"Alright, but do me a favor: Don't kill them! They don't know what they're doing!"  
A sweatdrop slid down Cole's face. "Uh, okay Bardock. I trust you." He flew back up to give the new orders to his comrades.   
'Good,' Bardock thought. 'Now I can go and . . . WAIT!! Where's Zucina!?' He gave a quick search of the battlefield. "ZUCINA?!?"  
Gardenia flew behind Bardock. "She ran off to the castle!"  
'AW FUCK!! Just like her, too!' He flew off at top speed to the castle walls.  
**  
**  
"Serves you right for always being such a glutton," Fasha teased her mate as they searched the castle for the computer control room.  
"Hey! It was right there for the picking!"  
Fasha laughed. "Have you forgot your lessons from STP? Remember that dog-rule: 'Free food always comes with a price.'" She opened a door and closed it again. "That's it for this floor."  
"Man, how many floors does this place have?"  
"Well, we just finished number 4. Look, there's a stairway to the next floor." The couple started running up, but the stairs gave way, creating a slide, sending them crashing down, Fasha on top of Tora.   
He smiled. "Not until we get home, Honey," he joked.  
She fell off and he helped her back up. "Wanna take a wild guess what's up there that we aren't allowed to see?"  
Tora pretended to think hard. "Not a clue." They flew up the rest of the way and came to a single, steel door. Tora banged on it, testing the thickness. He powered up a blast accordingly. "Let's try out what's behind Door #1!" He sent the blast at the weakest part of the door, melting the metal off its hinges.  
The floor level held only one room, filled with flashing lights, buttons, and screens. "Gee, I'm not sure, but I think we found the main computer," Fasha said.  
**  
**  
Zucina stuck to the shadows, not wanting to be seen prematurely. She held the Idsa Sword close to her body, controlling the glowing purple light it gave off from her forceful will. Sneaking around, she heard a soft growling sound in the next room.  
'Oh, fuck me,' she thought. She started to move away when she heard PM's voice also. "Man, those Sayins aren't playing by the rules! The hero's always are supposed to win! But they're . . . well well well! Unless my monitors are broken, I have a monkey pest problem in the main computer!"  
Zucina's heart skipped a beat. She didn't need a monitor to know who was down there. 'Oh no! Tora, Fasha, you bakas!'  
"Feel up to having a nice two course meal, Doggie," the boy asked excitedly to his pooch. The three-headed monster barked, shaking the ground beneath Zucina. But it wasn't the quake that made her drop to her knees.   
'No no no no no!!!! Tora and Fasha are gonna be eaten unless I stop that bloody behemoth first!' Most of her teammates knew she had a fear of wild animals since she was very young, but any normal person would faint at the sight of this creature.   
Her knuckles whitened from the pressure of her grip on the now dim Idsa Sword. With her confidence so shot, she couldn't use its power. Trembling, she tried to turn to hurry back to the main battle. But, a strange thing happened: The Idsa Sword started to pulsate. She felt the beat synchronize with her own heart. Radically, she could almost swear the sword spoke to her internally!  
Strangely, it gave her more courage. How could she abandon her friends at such a time!?  
Zucina stood, and turned the corner, just as the huge monster was about to run off. "OY!! Not just yet, Tiny," she said in a much braver voice then she felt.  
The Puppet Master jumped for joy. "Whoopee!! Mummy, you've to come back to me!!"  
"Piss off, Junior," growled Zucina. "I am no mere puppet for you to toy with! I am Lady Zucina Cucumbra, and I've come to kick . . . your . . . ASS!" She sprung forward.  
As she predicted, Doggie came to his master's defense. The creature leapt in front, sweeping at the girl with his tail. Zucina disappeared and reappeared several times before landing on the creature's shoulder. Doggie instantaneously bit, but Zucina phased out once more, and the monster torn into its own shoulder.  
Zucina dove down to its legs, searching for a thread. Discovering there wasn't one, she changed tactics: Kill the dog. Weaving in and about its legs, she powered up a ki blast from her sword, and sent it out at Doggie.  
Doggie took the full force, but still stood shakily to protect its master. Peter didn't cheer. He was furious. "You'll pay for hurting my dog!"  
"Call it off and I'll kill you," Zucina offered with a smile. 'Please! I can't stand this much longer!!'  
One head lunged at her, and she backed off, ramming right into the moving tail!  
**  
**  
Typing quickly, Tora searched through the files of the main computer.  
"Uh, why not simply blast the thing to kingdom come," asked Fasha.  
"Because Bardock doesn't want anyone hurt, and those threads could self destruct for all we know." He continued typing. "If I can hack into STP's programming, how hard can this be?"  
A big happy face popped up and blew a raspberry.  
Fasha giggled. "Hard."  
Tora cursed and kept typing. "Lets see . . . How about 'Toys'?"  
Raspberry.  
"'Games'?"  
Raspberry.  
After several more tries, he pressed "Peter", and the computer whizzed to accept him.  
"Yes! Now, let's find out a little more about our host. Fasha, look at some of the buttons for clues to the threads."  
"I'm on it," his mate responded. As she looked, Tora read the schematics of the threads, not completely understanding, but enough to know it wasn't booby-trapped. "Good enough for me," he said. He almost pressed the destruct button, but he heard Fasha cry out.  
"What up?"  
"Tora! Check out this screen!"  
Tora grumbled and walked over to the small screen Fasha was pointing to. It held medical information about . . .   
"Holy tapdancing shit!!"  
**  
**  
Zucina held her broken arm and cursed. Her dress spattered with blood from her mouth. She had been knocked to the wall twice only, but she still hadn't recovered physically from the fight against Bardock.  
Doggie showed worse signs of fatigue. He collapsed from the force of Zucina's direct blows, and bled internally from her ki attacks. The Puppet Master screamed. "Stop this! Stop this now! Stop letting her win!!"  
"I got news for ya, kid," Zucina said, straightening up. "He hasn't been letting me. Now, for the final blow . . ." She held the Idsa Sword above her head. It, like her eyes, glowed bright purple as the magic attack gained strength. She repeated the exotic words as the Sword directed her mentally.  
"GET HER NOW!!!" shrieked the Puppet Master.  
Obediently, and against his better judgment, one of Doggie's three heads chomped down onto the glowing girl.  
"NOOOO!!!!!!" Bardock had entered at that moment. His heart froze as her saw the creature swallow his best friend.  
Peter clapped his hands with delight. "Ah! The evil warlord-"  
"Will you stop that," yelled Bardock, trying to hold back tears. "This is not a game!! These are real people, real lives, and you are really killing them!!!"  
Peter grinned maliciously. "Don't you know your stories, Lieutenant? Heroes always w-"  
But before he finished, a purple light shone from Doggie's noses. The light intensified, then became an explosion. Doggie gave off one final squeal before vanishing in the light. Zucina stood in the midst of the light as the attack wore away, and she fell, exhausted.  
Bardock ran to he and scooped her up. "Zuni-chan! Zuni-chan! Are you okay!?"  
Zucina opened her eyes and smiled. "Heya, Low Level!"  
Bardock gave a weak smile. "What the hell'd ya do?"  
"I transported him to his new home . . . guarding the gates of Hell. I'm sure he'll like it there."  
Peter, stunned at the loss of his dog, took several steps backwards. Then he turned and broke into a run.  
"Matte," yelled Bardock. He turned back to Zucina. "Rest up, Zuni-chan. I'll be right back." He tore off after the boy.  
**  
**  
Cole shook hands with General Pikon. "Glad to work with such a reputable warrior. Even we people of the North Galaxy have heard of your exploits."  
"Well, I cannot deny that I am pleased my reputation proceeds me."  
"May the Goddess bless you, Sir." Cole saluted, then walked over to his comrades. "Lets go make preparations for Bardock-tachi's departure. Since they don't have pods, they'll have to use reinforcements. Panbukin, you radio in-"  
"COLE!!!" Yelled Tora, rushing up from the castle. "Where's Bardock?!"  
"Fighting this Puppet Master, I guess."  
"We gotta get to him! You'll never believe what we found out!!"  
** 


	4. part 4

~~I know a place where dreams are born  
~~And time is never planned  
~~It's not on any chart,  
~~You must find it with your heart  
~~Never never land  
.  
~~It might be miles beyond the moon  
~~Or right there where you stand  
~~Just have an open mind  
~~And suddenly you'll find  
~~Never never land  
.  
~~You'll have a treasure if you stay there  
~~More precious far than gold  
~~For once you have found your way there  
~~You can never, never grow old  
~~So come with me where dreams are born  
~~And time is never planned  
~~Just think of lovely things  
~~And your heart will soon take wings  
~~Forever  
~~In never never land  
**  
Bardock burst through the double doors to the largest room (volume wise) he had entered as of yet. Aligned with marble statues of past kings and queens, the throne lay amidst cobwebs and dirt from misuse. If Bardock weren't so pissed, he may have marveled at the prospect of the room's past beauty.  
Never allowing his guard down, Bardock walked into the room with soft, cautious steps. The webs stretched across the aisle way, making them impossible to miss.  
A thought struck him. What if its a trap? He took off his helmet and threw it into the center of the room.  
It bounced off the "webs."   
"Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush . . ."  
Bardock jumped at the sound of the Puppet Master's voice. "Where are you," he shouted into the darkness.  
"Aw, you don't like nursery rhymes," the voice from nowhere asked. "Too bad! They're my fav! How about this one? 'All work and no play makes Bardock a dull boy!'"  
Bardock took a step back and ran into more thread. The PM's web now formed a wall around the Sayin, trapping him several feet from the door.  
"'All play and no work makes Bardock a mere toy!'"  
"Why don't you just show yerself and get this over with," challenged Bardock, body poised for action.  
"Now why would I want to do that? Its much more fun to play with you! They say the Sayins are savage animals, but are also brilliant strategists. Let's see how one of their best can escape this mousetrap!"  
Bardock powered up, having had enough of these games. He sent out a ki blast to the thick web behind him. The web didn't singe. "Ooooo, sorry! No can do! The web is like metal, and can only absorb your energy. You blast it-" The ki suddenly ricocheted back and hit the small of Bardock's back. "- and it blasts you!"  
Strands of thread shot out from all around. Bardock jumped, trying not to hit the web. Performing some amazing acrobatics, he dodged the threads of web of the whole room, searching for a way out. But the doors had disappeared!  
Stronger threads, thicker then the previous, shot out from different directions, and coiled around the battle-weary Bardock. He pulled at them, but they cut into his skin. Blood dripped down his arms, legs, and torso. Bardock screamed in pain.  
**  
**  
"What did you find out," demanded Cole as the group raced through the palace.  
"Ever hear of the story of Peter Pan," asked Tora.  
"No," the rest said, except Fasha.  
"Well," she said. "apparently its really popular on another planet. Its about a boy who never grew up, and played games for all of eternity in a mystical land ca-"  
"So that's where the kid gets his name," asked Cole.  
"Looks like it," muttered Fasha. Under her breath she added, "So rude!"  
"MATTE!!" Zucina caught up with them. "Bardock ran this way!"  
"On this same planet," continued Tora, "there's another story about a puppet who wanted to become a real boy. To do so, he had to perform good deeds."  
"And?"  
"And, that explains the puppet thing! This guy is controlling his puppets to take over the universe because he thinks saving people includes manipulating them, so they don't do bad things!"  
"Yep," said Panbukin. "Pure psycho!"  
Fasha sighed. "Its pitiful, really. He wants to become whole again."  
"Whole?"  
**  
**  
"The stupid Sayin monkey got caught in Peter's web," sang the Puppet Master's voice from all around [tune of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider']. "The stupid Sayin monkey screamed off his little head!"  
Bardock reluctantly shut his mouth, now filling with blood from his ribs being crushed. The old wounds from the previous battle opened up, and Bardock's strength drained from pain and weariness.   
'KUSO," he thought. 'Nothin' I do works! There has to be somethin' I ain't considered yet! Goddess, whatever it is, I'd better think of it fast!' Blood trickled down the web, the metal absorbing it. 'Absorb . . . YATTA!!!"  
Bardock's muscles tensed. 'Shit, this is gonna hurt!' He took a deep breath, and screamed loudly as he powered up to his fullest. The blast from his body was absorbed by the web, causing it to spark from all sides.  
"Wha-what are you doing," came the worried voice.  
The ki sparks broke the walls, shattered the statues, and singed the web lines.  
"STOP!!!"   
Even as the ki forced back to him, Bardock took the blast and used it yet again until the entire surroundings demolished. No pillars or statues, no support for the web.  
Bardock landed hard on his hands and knees, bloodied and battered. Still fully powered up, he floated above the ground, drew back his hand, and set up his strongest move. "SOLAR STRIKE!!!!!" The small gold ki ball shot out of his hand, and hit the throne (which gave off the most ki energy).  
Exhausted, Bardock collapsed, drifting off into darkness.  
**  
**  
"Bardock! Bardock!"  
He opened his eyes to stare into bright, sable eyes, sparkling from joy at his movement. Zucina held him in her lap, trying to wake him. Her smile, so rare yet infectious, made Bardock want to kiss her.   
Tora's voice was nearby. "Oy! Is he awake yet?"  
Bardock snapped back to reality and blushed at his previous thoughts. To cover it up, he said, "Zuni-chan, you oughta wear that dress more often! People will finally know yer a girl!"  
SMACK!! Zucina hit his jaw and stood up, knocking him down again. "Last time I worry about YOUR bloody safety!!"  
Tora, Panbukin, Totepo (silently), and Fasha laughed. Cole only sighed. "You two . . ."  
Warren came from behind and helped Bardock sit up. His stuffing literally had been knocked out of him; some was showing from a rip in his side. "Kid! You okay?!"  
"He'll be fine," said Julianne, a bandage on her head and arm. "You're going to need some patching up, though. The others are getting the medicine and bandages now."  
"Arigato," said Bardock, trying to ignore his intense pain. "Becomin' repetitious, ne?" He looked around. The castle had been destroyed from the interior, thanks to the force of the Solar Strike. He and his comrades were in the middle of the rubble. Many villagers and fighters sifted through the debris.  
"Find anything yet," asked a warrior to Pikon.  
"Not yet," the general said. "Our ships must be in the dungeons."  
"Try that area there," called out Tora, pointing toward the entrance. "There's a secret trap door."  
Bardock closed his eyes a moment to relax, but kept thinking about Peter. "Cole," he called to his mentor, "d'ya know what happened to the Puppet Master?"  
Cole paused. "Can ya walk?"  
"I think so." Cole held out his hand and lifted him off the ground, ignoring the dripping blood. He pulled Bardock's arm over his shoulder, and supported his weight. "Here. I think you oughta hear this."  
They slowly processed toward the largest group of animals, huddled around something. "Remember the story Julianne showed you," Cole asked his student.  
"Yeah."  
"Well, the book didn't know the whole thing. The prince never fully recovered. He just got worse and worse. Eventually, they hooked him up to life support. The fever supposedly fried his brain.  
"Instead, the prince hooked his mind up to the system, and created all of the chaos that's been going on. What you've seen was an illusion, a digital illusion. Its like he immortalized himself as a child. He wanted a way to live out his life. That stuff about a wizard's complete bullshit; everything was done by computer. Even the dog was grown genetically altered.  
"But his mind DID get messed up because of that fever. He went insane, believing all creatures should be controlled to maintain peace in the universe. And he, as the true hero, would force others to submit to his will. A bedtime story he read dictated that if he did such a good deed, he'd 'turn into a real boy' again."  
They stopped abruptly, staying out of sight of the object the villagers surrounded. Cole gazed at Bardock seriously, in his 'This-Is-For-Your-Own-Good' looks. "Knowing you, my friend, you've grown a little attached to the kid, despite all he's done. Your heart's got a nasty habit of doing that. Just wanted to warn ya - well - you aren't gonna like what you see."  
Pikon, who followed them, stepped in front of them and pushed a path through the group. "Make way," he shouted. "Make way for the hero of the universe!"  
If Bardock were paying attention, he would have laughed at the extremely ironic title. Instead, he kept his focus on the box in front of him.  
The throne, or what he thought was a throne, really opened up like a toy chest with a monitor on the lid. Inside was a middle-aged alien, blue, four armed, skinny, and hooked to dozens of wires and tubes. Long gray hair and a beard wrapped around his face, dirty and disheveled. The vacant eyes stared off into space.  
"Tora left the computer on," explained Cole, his voice far back in a corner of Bardock's mind. "It keeps him alive."  
"I say he should be turned in to the local warlord," said one warrior alien.   
"He should be killed," said Archie, somewhere in the crowd.  
"Show him some mercy," pleaded Warren at Bardock's heels.  
General Pikon raised a hand to silence the crowd. "Lieutenant Bardock defeated him honorably in battle. It is his decision, and his alone, that we must all rely on. Lieutenant?"  
Bardock took his time in answering. He eventually agreed with Warren, asking the villagers to preserve his life and look into finding a cure. Pikon offered to question scientists in his galaxy about the prince's condition. "Very noble of you not to have him killed," he said, smiling. "Sayins must be more complex then their reputation gives them."  
Cole patted his friend's arm. "Not all Sayins."  
"OY," Zucina yelled from a distance. "We found some extra pods! One is prepped with a rejuvenator for Bardock! And we got Stinky back online!"  
"Great," yelled Cole.  
"But first," announced Julianne, "you are invited to be the guests of honor at our celebratory banquet all day today!"  
Tora held his stomach. "As long as there's no candy!"  
Cole laughed. "I doubt we'll turn this planet in to Freiza," he thought aloud before addressing Bardock again. "Ready to celebrate?"  
"Gimme a few minutes," he said, flashing Cole a smile. "I can stand now. You go join the others."  
Cole gave a nod, and helped his still shaky pupil to stand erect. Warren, still under Bardock, tried to help also by pushing on his legs to steady them. "Better?"  
"Yeah thanks. Go on an' join the party, an' take Warren with you."  
"Okay, but I'm giving you a half hour to get yourself cleaned and bandaged up. Kikitoru?"  
"Yes sir." He bent down and gave Warren a pat on the head. "Thanks fer everything, kid." As Cole ran off, taking Warren with him, Bardock focused his gaze on the toy chest, containing his fallen enemy. Pikon's words of wisdom floated in his head. ". . . more complex then their reputation gives them."  
Some people believe there is a firm line between good and evil, as in white and black. But, in truth (according to Bardock and Una), there were shades of gray also. Bardock himself was not purely good, nor purely evil.  
Bardock put a hand on the edge of Peter's case. "Time to grow up, Peter. I hope ya can appreciate what I did for ya."  
As if to reply, words appeared on the screen above the Puppet Master's head:  
Merrily merrily merrily merrily  
Life is but a dream.  
.  
Owari  
.  
.  
~~Sweet dreams are made of this  
~~Who am I to disagree?   
~~Travel the world and the seven seas  
~~Everybody's looking for something  
.  
~~Some of them want to use you  
~~Some of them want to get used by you  
~~Some of them want to abuse you  
~~Some of them want to be abused  
.  
.  
*************************  
***********Cast***********  
***(in order of appearance)***  
Zucina - Lucy Lawless [Xena: Warrior Princess]  
Cole - Daniel Abarca [my brother]  
Panbukin - Scott McNeil [Season 1: Nappa/Piccolo]  
Tora - Rob Paulson [Yakko, Pinky, Raphael, the Mask, etc. The man is a voice actor god!]  
Fasha - E. G. Daily [Tommy Pickles, Buttercup, etc.]  
Bardock - Masako Nozawa [original Bardock voice; I wouldn't let Sonny Strait touch Bardock again with a ten-foot-pole!]  
Stinky - G. Gordon Baer [Guilliam from Outlaw Star]  
Elena - Elena Harris [my good friend]  
Archie - Brian Drummond [Season 1: Vegeta]  
Warren - Ian Hawk [Jim from Outlaw Star]  
Julianne - Lisa Williams [another good friend]  
Narrator - Jim Dale [narrator to the Harry Potter books on tape]  
Gardenia - Elizabeth Mendoza [yet another friend]  
The Puppet Master - Laura Baily [Chibi Trunks]  
Pikon - ??? [Season 6: Pikon]  
  
**Songs**  
  
"World of Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory  
Music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley  
  
"Kid's Game" from the musical BLOOD BROTHERS   
Music and lyrics by Willy Russell   
  
"Never Neverland" from the musical Peter Pan  
Music by Mark Charlap & Jule Styne; Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh  
  
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These)"  
Artist: Marilyn Manson 


End file.
